The life of a tennis nut: Getting your slam on (Aus Open edition)

Now that the US Open has come to an end, it’s time to reflect on the grand slams that were… from the perspective of our resident tennis nut, @JuanaWriter.

You may remember her from last month’s post, The Life of a Tennis Nut: Are you one? Well, she’s back. This month, and the following three, she’ll be giving a run-down of “a day in the life of a tennis nut” when it comes to grand slam-viewing, starting with the Australian Open.Ok, let’s set the scene. Can you relate?

It’s December. It’s hot. Sweltering, in fact. (and that’s just the shirtless practices!) The Australian tv channel – Network 7 – is saturating viewers with its ‘Seven’s Summer of Tennis’ ads, psyching them up for weeks of unrelenting inside-out forehands, drilled double-handed backhands, gobsmacking ‘gets’, skyrocketing smashes and if you’re really good, they’ll throw in a ‘banana shot’ that makes your jaw smack the floor and you leap from your sweaty chair. They’ll dazzle you with the lead-up tournies – the Brisbane International, the Sydney International, the Hobart International, and even the Kooyong Classic, to ease your way into the mayhem of the Aussie Open and if that ain’t enough, they’ll throw in the Hopman Cup.

If you haven’t yet bought tickets, rearranged your social life (kicked out the husband, the cat, whatever it takes to get ‘your private fix’) or set your dvr, you soon will… In fact, I’ve been known to say:

(Denial)
“Okay, this year, I’m not going. I’ll just enjoy it from the comfort of my own home.”

(Self-important ranting)
“I won’t have to deal with those sometimes irritating, not necessarily tennis fans, who just don’t ‘get’ the rules and etiquette. Without being too much of a tennis snob, I mean, there are just some things that you might get away with at the cricket, footy or soccer, that you just don’t do at the tennis. That’s just the way it is. Learn this and behave… or leave.”

(Rationalising)
“It’s always a gamble which matches you see, so you never know who you’ll end up seeing. No, no. No thank you, I’ll just sit at home, thanks,” I lie to my deluded self.

Another ‘Summer of Tennis’ ad flies past and before I know it, I’m ferociously switching between screens on my laptop, one window showing flight availability, the other showing accommodation options, the other with the Ticketek window flashing at me: “These tickets will only be held for 8 minutes”.

And, just like that, I’ve booked yet another year in Melbourne for the Australian Open.

Can’t resist either? Information about tickets for next year’s Australian Open can be found here.

If you are headed to the Happy Slam, stay tuned for details about meet and greet gatherings. In the meantime, stay #happy!